COUNCILLOR June Longmuir can't be accused of mincing her words.

The cabinet member for education at Worcestershire County Council has a clear vision of what schools should be like in the future.

And she's not afraid to let us hear her opinions.

Members of the public who attend the cabinet meetings will hear the ex-headteacher concisely assess each education issue. Her air of authority is undeniably a key factor in her recommendations being passed.

Which is why parents, teachers and anyone else interested in education should listen to what she has to say.

Firstly, she has defended the new special educational needs county strategy - a result of Government directives.

A need for fairer funding is also high on her agenda. But the one issue that rarely seems to grab headline news is that of small schools.

There are 46 primary and first schools classed as being "small" in Worcestershire, i.e. they have less than 90 pupils.

The smallest is Pensax CE Primary School with only 23 pupils.

The beef with small schools is that if they were financed in the same way as larger schools then they would collapse.

Coun Longmuir believes the key to their survival and ability to offer the same services as larger schools will be joining up within the pyramidal system.

Imagine what will happen when Government directives to begin foreign languages at the age of seven kicks in.

A school the size of Pensax is not going to have the budget to afford a languages teacher, who would only work a maximum one full day.

So why not form a co-operative of schools to share the teacher around?

It would mean seeing schools in a feeder system pyramid, sharing resources and splitting costs.

Bursars to look after the school's finances could also be shared, meaning headteachers can do what they trained for and teach.

A school like Pensax CE Primary is not like Pitmaston or Cherry Orchard primaries in Worcester. The head plays the same role as a regular class teacher, only with more accountability and a better wage.

If bursars were to spread their expertise then not only would the school be able to be run efficiently, but heads would see less paperwork - a win-win situation.

Teaming up has always provided benefits, whether it's a group of farmers working together to get their milk into the market place, or countries forming a union for better employment opportunities.

The pyramidal system could have other benefits.

Coun Longmuir and her colleagues have been embroiled in a debate over the future of the three-tier education system.

With pupils transferring from middle to high school in Year 8, then having to choose GCSE options in Year 9 it has come in for some criticism. They are already one year into Key Stage 3 of the National Curriculum at that age and changing schools has been said to disrupt learning.

But a closer working of a pyramid could save three-tier schools from being changed.

Coun Longmuir told me that if the pyramids acted together to achieve a common goal then the transfer at the age of 13 would not be so dramatic.

It would be changing buildings, rather than changing schools, she said.

And you have to admit she has a point.

If feeder schools were involved with the school at the top of the pyramid then you can see there is less chance of children being intimidated by the move up.

That's not to say high schools don't work well with their feeder schools. I have seen some fine examples of high schools teaming up with primary and middle schools.

Pershore High School students are working with Abbey Park Middle School on an animation project and Bishop Perowne CE High School, in Worcester, regularly works with feeder schools including St Barnabas CE Primary School.

But still more could be done.

I wouldn't go so far as changing school uniforms so that a pyramid system has the same outfits. That would be ludicrous and result in a loss of identity.

What I would endorse is Coun Longmuir's ideas of governing bodies working together, shared teachers and shared opportunities.

If it only works for our smaller schools then it will be worth it.

The next time you go to a council meeting where an education item is on the agenda, or you read of what Coun Longmuir has to say in the meetings, remember this - she knows her subject well and has every wish to better the county.